The invention relates to a burner for a soot filter associated with internal combustion engines. The burner includes a fuel nozzle, a glow plug or spark plug, and an air nozzle through which secondary air is introduced into a burner chamber located between the internal combustion engine and the soot filter.
A burner for a soot filter is illustrated schematically in the SAE Paper 81 01 18. It would be difficult to find more detailed data regarding the background and construction thereof than the one set forth in this piece of literature. Generally, burners of this type provide, especially in a diesel engine, regeneration of the soot filter while continuously maintaining the filtering function. The power capacity of the burner must meet high requirements, particularly for this usage. The fuel-air mixture delivered by the burner needs to be fed to the soot filter simultaneously with the exhaust gases from the internal combustion engine and a burn-off process of the soot accumulated on the filter should be capable of being initiated by this mixture in any circumstance, i.e. even in case of cold or especially hot exhaust gases. This process to be effective, is to be maintained over a definite time period. Normally, burn-off should continue until the soot has been at least almost completely burnt off. An important consideration is that the temperature of the soot filter, by this burn-off process, is not to exceed a predetermiend value, in order to prevent destruction of the filter.